The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-17
c.,,.dr b, tho name of Leo XIII is the


cailedY by the name Of Leo XIII is the
| prompt answer"
The man who then put on the ring OF the
fisherman was 81 years OF ago. He Is now 70.
What has been accomplished In those nine
years by man who at their beginning was not
far nom the Scriptural limit OF human exist
once "a recounted in the last fifteen chapters OF
this biography. Those which deal with the
work dono among Eastern peoples. in France,
in Germany, In Great Britain and Ireland. and
in the United States, are for US Of special sig
nihcance and interest 1t Is tho substance OF
these chapters which We would try very briefly
to Indicate.
To glance first at Poland we should bear in
mind that Alexander ii. had treated his Cath
olic subjects in that kingdom with such ex-
traordinary rigor that the Russian Ambassa-
dor was summarily dismissed by Plus IL.
Within three years after the accession OF Loo
Kill diplomatic intercourse was renewed be-
tween 81. Petersburg and the Vatican. and. al
though the position OF tho Catholic Slavs in
Russia still leaves much to be desired It is
much less troubled and much moro hopeful
than II was nine years ago. We do not. In
deed, suppose that the report Of proximate
reunion Of the Eastern and the Western
Churches IL well founded. but tho currency
OF such rumor IL o sign OF the times
It IL further pointed out that even
the Ottoman Sultan. although nominal
ly the successor Of the Abbassid caliphs.
and therefore professedly tho arch enemy Of
the vicar Of Christ, was mot one Of the last
sovereigns to feel the truth OF Leo ILLS air.
nation that tho Catholic Church is everywhere
q mighty element Of peace, order. security.
unity. and stability to the nations and their
rulers The Porto acknowledged that tho sue
,f,,l an IN 10 hrfn hn hetvvpan
the Holy Sec and the Eastern schismatics or
between the rival Christian denominations
themselves had proved to DO great benefit
bestowed upon the empire" Tho biographer
goes on to show in detail how the Porte
confirmed the election Of MonsiGnor Abolio-
nam as patriarch OF Babylon. and granted
him the flrman ratifying the Holy Fathers ap-
probation Of his designation. This was an OIL
cial acknowledgment Of the patriarch as the
head OF his nation. the Chaldeans and
solemn guarantee Of full religious liberty to
himself and his people. This was followed al
most Immediately by the healing OF the schism
which had taken place in Zachan. another do
cese Of Mesopotamia. The Bishop who had in
truded himself into the see submitted to the
Patriarch. and asked for absolution from the
Holy see." Then came "the appeasement Of
the LONG and bloody feud between the Jacobite
HISTORIANS Of Syria and the Catholics OF
tho Syrian rite There was o like happy
settlement OF the schism which had divided the
Armenians In 1879 and 1880 the schismatic
Armenian Archbishops Of Cyprus and Cairo
and the Archbishop Of Diarbekir returned to
the Catholic fold. and asked Pope Leo KILL
for absolution. By way Of signalling the
close Of this wide and dangerous breach In an
influential section Of eastern Christendom. tho
Pontin rewarded Monsignor Hassun. the
Armenian patriarch and Catholics OF Cilicia,
with the Roman purple. Tho first Oriental
ever created Cardinal was the famous Greek
scholar. Bessarion. who received the hat in the
middle OF tho fifteenth century. Monsignor
Hassun was the second. We may add that in
1881 Leo XIII. founded special college for
Armenians at Rome.
1t may be thought that the pontifcate OF Leo
XIII. has effected but little In France, where
the abolition Of the Concordat Is the capital
aim Of strong, II not the strongest section OF
the republicans, and where. after the elections
of 1885, every priest who had dared to advise
his practitioners to prefer o Catholic to Radi-
cal candidate was punished by the loss Of his
salary. Yet the truth is that IN the present
Chamber Of Deputies the members pledged to
the support Of the Church are much more nu-
msrous than they have been at any time since
1877. and that in the judgment Of the
most competent observers Q stop 20 trenchant
as the cancellation OF the Concordat would
provoke o formidable Catholic reaction. 1t is
folly for professed republicans to force men to
choose between their religion and the repub-
Lilo, for a. matter Of fact the voters. who upon
the whole wish well to the Catholic Church. out
number in France the svowed free thinkers
by about four to one. It was this disproportion
that caused wiser man than any Of the pres
emit French politicians-the first Napoleon-to
abandon as chimerioal the project OF divorcing
France from her traditional fait.
Indisputably the German difficulty was, as
tho biographer declares. the greatest inherited
BY Leo XIII. from the previous pontilcate.
chapter IL very properly allotted to the SUBJ
ject. But we need not dwell upon this theme
seeing that the readers Of every newspaper
alive to the significance OF current events have
followed In weekly and often daily discussions
the vicissitudes Of the prolonged struggle be-
tween Leo XIII. and Bismarck. No German
will deny that Kaiser Williams Chancellor has
been constrained to take the journey to
Canossa, and the ultimate resource OF
italian enemies Of the Papacy Is the
insinuation that the Pope on his
part Is well on his way to Avignon.
meaning. of course. that he is not indisposed to
seek from o Teutonic sovereign the protection
which French predecessor accepted from
Philip the Fair. We should rather compare
tho service which Leo XIII. expects from Bis
marck to that for which the Papacy was in
debted to the father Of Charlemagne namely.
the restitution Of the patrimony OF ST. Peter.
As to the influence of the present Pope on the
growth and consolidation Of Catholicism in
Great Britain. 1t Is to be noted. first, that Leo
Kill restored the Roman hierarchy in Scot
land. and. secondly. that he settled an old and
troublesome controversy between the monastic
orders and the secular ecclesiastics In England
But to strengthen the Church in England. with
out doing anything which would weaken the
trust Of Irish Catholics, was q difflcult task.
This has, nevertheless, been thus far accom-